Chapter 25
How long had it been since Gu Qian had seen that look in Qi Yu’s eyes?
Back when she came home holding a report card with disappointing grades.
When she’d failed to achieve the ranking she’d wanted in a math competition.
When she repeatedly forgot her lines during drama rehearsals.
Little Qi Yu had always looked at her with those same aggrieved yet unwilling-to-give-up eyes, softly calling,
“Big Sister.”
And now…
In the dimly lit KTV, although the air around them was filled with the mature scent of mint, it felt as though time had rolled back five years.
The grown-up Qi Yu was leaning close to her.
Her eyes glistened with moisture, yet carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.
“Why can’t you be paired up with other people for publicity?”
Gu Qian gently patted the back of her tense hand, asking softly.
Qi Yu looked dazed. After thinking for a while, she murmured hazily,
“…Because you don’t like it.”
For a brief moment, Gu Qian lost herself.
Before the age of six, she’d been terrified of being abandoned. She drifted wherever life carried her, never daring to fight for the things she wanted.
After her biological mother, Dong Yu, brought her home, she forced herself to become more outstanding than every child her age. Everyone admired only her brilliance, yet no one ever cared how she truly felt.
Even after entering the entertainment industry, someone as close as Xu Man supported only her career.
Only Qi Yu had always silently followed behind her.
Stumbling.
Struggling.
Climbing upward.
Until she finally reached the place closest to Gu Qian…
Only to ask one simple question.
“Are you happy?”
So…
Even if Qi Yu really were an Omega…
Even if Qi Yu only regarded her as the older sister she’d grown up with…
She could never let her go.
“Then…”
Gu Qian smiled gently, her expression almost irresistibly seductive beneath the colorful lights flowing behind her.
“…Do you know what I actually like?”
“…Like… what?”
Qi Yu unconsciously echoed the question.
“I like—”
Before Gu Qian could finish…
Several younger actors came over carrying drinks, jokingly urging her to sing.
She had no choice but to quietly step back, putting a little distance between herself and Qi Yu.
Yet hidden beneath the darkness…
She secretly tightened her grip around Qi Yu’s long, slightly damp fingers.
After leaving the KTV…
Gu Qian spotted Coco, who had already driven over and was waiting in the underground parking garage.
“G-Gu Qian!”
Coco hurried over, her eyes sparkling.
She desperately suppressed the grin threatening to split her face open, trying not to expose her true identity as a hardcore QianYu CP fan.
Gu Qian raised an eyebrow.
Somewhat reluctantly, she released Qi Yu and handed her over.
“My goodness…”
Coco struggled to support the barely-standing Qi Yu.
“She looks so skinny. Who knew she was actually this heavy?”
Just as she was about to stuff Qi Yu into the car…
Gu Qian suddenly called out,
“Wait.”
“Huh? What is it, Sister Gu?”
Coco immediately turned around.
“When Qi Yu sobers up…”
Gu Qian spoke calmly, her expression sincere.
“…Tell her I’ll be going home on the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“I’ll have to trouble you.”
“…Oh.”
“…Ah?!”
Coco answered instinctively…
Before suddenly freezing in shock.
Gu Qian wanted her to tell Qi Yu…
That she was going home for Mid-Autumn Festival?
…Going home whose home?
As the president of the QianYu CP fan club…
Coco had just stumbled upon an earth-shattering piece of gossip.
She stood there completely dumbfounded.
Seeing Qi Yu’s little assistant staring blankly…
Gu Qian smiled gently and asked with perfect composure,
“…Would that be inconvenient?”
“N-No!”
“It’s convenient!”
“I’ll definitely tell her!”
Coco snapped back to reality, nodding frantically like a pecking chicken.
So…
Senior Gu and Sister Qi are actually that close in private…
Rounded up… doesn’t that basically mean they’re secretly married already?
The more Coco thought about it…
The wider her grin became.
She felt even more dizzy than the drunk Qi Yu herself.
Over the following few days…
Wu Zhen arranged no work at all for Qi Yu.
She only informed her that she’d be participating in a travel variety show called Far Away in half a month.
She handed Qi Yu the script in advance, telling her to familiarize herself with the format.
The first season of Far Away had aired the previous year.
Its concept centered around traveling to lesser-known destinations throughout the country and exploring local culture.
The reality show became an instant hit after broadcast and received widespread praise.
Qi Yu had barely watched any variety shows.
As a newcomer to the industry…
Even though she was only appearing as a temporary guest…
She still felt extremely nervous.
Fortunately…
Lin Tong would also be joining this season, which reassured her considerably.
With nothing to do during her break at home…
Qi Yu spent half the day lying on her bed studying the script.
She even dug out the first season of Far Away and carefully watched several episodes.
After a while…
She grew bored.
So she started browsing Weibo.
Remembering that she and Gu Qian even had a CP Super Topic…
She found herself possessed by curiosity.
She searched for the words…
QianYu QianXun.
Then clicked inside.
The Super Topic icon was soft pink.
At first glance, anyone could tell it featured the two of them.
Qi Yu tapped the enlarged image.
It turned out to be a screenshot from Jiang Lan’s birthday vlog filmed during production.
In the picture…
She and Gu Qian were leaning closely against each other while eating cake.
The atmosphere actually looked rather warm and affectionate.
What truly shocked Qi Yu…
Was that someone had photoshopped an adorable pair of cat ears onto her head…
And painted a rosy blush across her cheeks.
From this picture…
Why did she look so much like the bottom?
Qi Yu’s expression became extremely complicated.
She didn’t know whether to feel relieved that her Alpha identity remained perfectly hidden…
Or devastated that, in the eyes of the fans, she’d become such a delicate little bottom.
Just then…
One particular post caught her attention.
Fairy Drinks Milk Tea Every Day:
AHHHHHH SISTERS!!
WE REALLY SHIPPED A REAL COUPLE THIS TIME!!!
I’M EMPTY INSIDE!!
I’M ABOUT TO DIE!!!
I swear on this year’s milk tea…
QIANYU QIANXUN IS REAL!!!
ABSOLUTELY REAL!!!
The post had over eight hundred comments…
And nearly three thousand likes.
Many people asked whether the original poster worked inside the entertainment industry.
But she never replied again.
Qi Yu chuckled dismissively.
She didn’t take it seriously at all.
Probably just another hopelessly obsessed little fangirl…
Scrolling further…
Another thread caught her eye.
Can Baby Yu Top Someday?
Sisters!
Has anyone researched pheromone compatibility?
I discovered hibiscus and mint have at least a 90% compatibility rate!
Modern young women were strangely superstitious about only two things.
One…
Horoscopes.
Two…
Pheromone compatibility.
Although Qi Yu always claimed she didn’t believe such nonsense…
Several years ago…
Young and naïve as she was…
She’d actually been tricked into buying a roadside book called The Complete Guide to Pheromone Compatibility.
It was still lying quietly on her bookshelf.
On a whim…
She climbed off her bed and dug the book out again.
The moment she opened it…
She discovered pages filled with crooked handwritten notes.
She couldn’t bear looking at them.
She silently decided to throw the entire embarrassing relic away someday.
“Xiaoyu!”
Her mother suddenly shouted from somewhere far away.
“Qianqian’s home! Hurry downstairs!”
Panicking…
Qi Yu casually shoved the book beneath her bedside lamp.
Gu Qian had apparently just walked through the door.
She was only wearing a baseball cap.
Qi Yu couldn’t help muttering,
“Why aren’t you wearing a mask and sunglasses?”
“What if someone takes your picture?”
Gu Qian smiled teasingly.
“What?”
“You think I’d embarrass you?”
Before Qi Yu could answer…
Mother Gu glared fiercely.
“You ungrateful child!”
“Qianqian’s a huge star, and she doesn’t even嫌弃 you!”
One sharp scolding instantly silenced Qi Yu.
Among the three women in the household…
She had always occupied the lowest position.
She wisely surrendered.
“You two have been away filming for months.”
“The guest room’s never been cleaned.”
“So tonight…”
Mother Gu announced in a businesslike tone,
“Qianqian will sleep with Xiaoyu.”
Qi Yu looked at her mother suspiciously.
“…Weren’t you—”
“Weren’t I what?”
“You think cleaning the whole house isn’t exhausting?”
“You heartless girl!”
“You expect me to work myself to death?”
Qi Yu swallowed the rest of her protest.
Looking thoroughly aggrieved.
In the end…
After fighting with everything she had…
She successfully negotiated one compromise.
Gu Qian would sleep in her bedroom.
She herself…
Would sleep in the living room.
Gu Qian wasn’t unfamiliar with Qi Yu’s room.
She simply hadn’t entered it very often since the two of them had presented as Omegas.
Compared with childhood…
Very little had changed.
It was still simple.
Still tidy.
Only now…
It carried the unique mint fragrance belonging to an Omega.
Walking casually to the bedside…
She noticed a thin little book tucked beneath the bedside lamp.
It looked strangely conspicuous.
Pulling it out…
She saw the worn, tattered cover.
Across it were printed several large words—
The Complete Guide to Pheromone Compatibility
Gu Qian: “…”
This absolutely reeks of cheap roadside literature…
Opening the table of contents…
She noticed someone had circled the section on plant-based pheromones with a ballpoint pen.
She couldn’t help laughing softly.
Turning a few more pages…
She noticed something else.
In the blank space beside Cedar Pheromones…
Someone had doodled a little doll.
Among everyone she knew…
Only Xu Man possessed cedar-scented pheromones.
As for this doll…
Gu Qian examined it carefully.
Wasn’t it…
The very doll Xu Man had once given her?
She thoughtfully stared at the huge X someone had drawn across the doll’s face.
Slowly…
She felt as though she’d stumbled onto a certain truth.
A memory surfaced.
Little Qi Yu blinked innocently and asked,
“This doll’s so cute.”
“Where did it come from?”
“Xu Man gave it to me.”
Gu Qian laughed.
Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents…
Filled with gentle spring-like warmth.
Late that night…
Qi Yu had just prepared to take a shower and go to bed…
When something suddenly occurred to her.
Even in the middle of summer…
She shivered.
Oh no.
Did I hide that book of embarrassing black history properly?
Cold sweat immediately broke out across her forehead.
If Gu Qian saw that book…
She’d lose every shred of dignity she’d ever had.
She carefully crept to her bedroom door.
Opening only the tiniest crack…
She peeked inside.
Gu Qian wasn’t there.
Instead…
The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Perfect opportunity!
Like a thief…
Qi Yu slipped into the room.
At a glance…
She spotted the book still lying beneath the bedside lamp.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Looks like Gu Qian hasn’t discovered it yet.
She tiptoed over.
Quickly pulled out the book.
Then turned to escape.
Click.
The bathroom doorknob turned.
Too late!
Qi Yu froze.
Her mind went completely blank.
Without thinking…
She dove beneath the bed.
Footsteps drew closer and closer.
Stopping right beside the bedside.
She didn’t dare breathe.
Her tall, slender body curled obediently beneath the bed…
As motionless as a statue.
A while later…
Rustling sounds echoed once more.
Gu Qian switched off the bedroom lights.
Qi Yu finally relaxed enough to breathe again.
She planned to wait until Gu Qian had fallen asleep…
Then silently sneak out.
Smack.
Something landed on the floor.
Curled beneath the bed…
Qi Yu stared ahead in shock.
Covering her mouth.
It was…
A shirt.
Smack.
A pair of pants landed beside it.
Smack.
Then…
A bra.
Qi Yu stared at the pile of clothes scattered across the floor.
Her entire face flushed scarlet.
She was completely dumbfounded.
Since when…
Did Gu Qian start sleeping naked?
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